KL, KL, KL - what to tell? It isn't exactly heaven but then it's really far from hell…
KL to me is a mongrel. A cross breed. A bit of this and a bit of that. Part Asian success story - the Petronas Towers stand as testament - it is also part squalor (of a type) as seen in some of the back alleys of Chinatown. As a city it's a bit of a piggy in the middle - lacking the cleanliness and dynamism of its southern neighbour Singapore it also falls some way short of the edge and excitement for which Bangkok to the north remains a destination par excellence.
'Sight' wise KL offers the aforementioned Petronas Towers themselves which can be climbed for free - the one disadvantage of doing so being that you can't see the Towers from inside the Towers if you see what I mean? Thus and therefore I chose to ascend the nearby radio mast which although costing more (in that it costs) does afford rather lovely views across KL with the Towers being front and centre (when looking out of certain windows - from the opposite side they can't be seen). Somewhat similarly to this paragraph the Towers are ever present and KL's major focal point but what else...
KL also features some colonial architecture (but of course) which has led me to make 'We built this City' somewhat of a theme for my travels. There is also a Bird Park in the city centre - I failed to visit but am fairly confident that this is a park with birds - and some primary jungle but a moment's walk from the skyscrapers of downtown. The heat and humidity of KL is only intensified within the borders of the jungle making the number of stairs on the jungle walk truly unwelcome.
So, all in all, KL perhaps is not top dog, numero uno, the big queso, the head honcho when it comes to sights (in comparison to other cities) however it is nonetheless a pleasant place to go for a wander and spend a few days.
What more though? Well, for the backpacker life in KL is very much centred around the warren of streets that make up Chinatown. Guesthouses galore, cheap eats and one bar mean this is the place to sleep, eat and get tipsy. Also, if you have a penchant for such things stalls line the main streets from dawn to duck selling a quite bewildering array of 'hooky*' (* fake, counterfeit, moody, snide) goods - from shoes to sunglasses, watches to bags - if it's considered designer and it can be copied then it can be bought here. Child labour may be a 'bad' thing (I say 'bad' as I am not sure else they would be doing) but you cannot deny the quality of the work produced [disclaimer: some of this paragraph may contain sarcasm]. I entered the bowels of Chinatown wearing but normal clothes yet left barely fifty metres later carrying a Mulberry bag, wearing Prada shades, checking the time on my Patek Phillipe (alas not inherited) and toddling along on Manolo Blahniks (the latter item remains a mystery). Of course I didn't - I only buy 'real' - unless the 'fake' is really good or really cheap of course.
With the advent of Air Asia and the cheap flights it offers KL has become, is becoming and will more than likely continue to become a hub, a central hot spot on the traveller's itinerary in this part of the world - the South East Asian travelling jet set are far from silly - when the plane costs less than the bus and takes a tenth of the time concerns over global warming espoused over many a campfire tend to take a backseat (virtue is ever a victim of practicality). And thus it proved for myself - after India KL provided somewhat of a decompression chamber, a place to relax and try and work out what comes next - it would play the same role after the Cambodian/Laos onslaught but for very different reasons. Thus my days in the city were spent catching up on admin (this blog doesn't write itself you know), posting photos (they don't post themselves you know) and drinking expensive coffee (it doesn't...oh, right) in air conditioned malls. Retail therapy without the buying provided some welcome distraction.
Alas, we have expensive coffee at home and a climate that all but negates the need for AC and so with not an overly heavy heart I boarded a plane headed for Cambodia. Farewell to KL but for a couple of weeks. My return ensured in order to meet dear Robert (Becky) who would be joining me in Malaysia for a few days - now what could possibly go wrong with that?!
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